


Fight, Rest, Heal, Trust

by Neroro



Category: One Piece
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Multi, description of major injury, hand amputation, no explicitly romantic relationships but feel free to read as much romance into it as you want
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 15:16:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8332522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neroro/pseuds/Neroro
Summary: Sanji wakes up to find his hand missing.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place towards the end of the Whole Cake Island arc but written before chapter 843 came out.
> 
> I imagined the setup to be some kind of Vinsmokes vs Big Mom war going on and Sanji fighting someone that managed to agitate one of his wristlets enough to set it off but it's really not important to the story, all you need to know is that Sanji is hurt and Luffy and Nami are there to pick him up.
> 
> English is not my first language so please bear with any language mistakes you might find.

Sanji wakes to pain, to fire in his side and his lungs and his arm. He rolls to his side, groaning in pain and he brings up a hand to wipe the blood from his eyes but nothing happens.

Nothing happens.

Sanji rolls to his back and rubs at his face with his other arm, forces his eyes open despite the sting.

There's blood. There's so much blood. Sanji pats himself down, he has some pretty heavy burns down his side and probably some internal bleeding but it's nothing he hasn't dealt with before. He gets up, staggers to his feet and promptly loses his balance. 

He tastes dirt and considers for a brief second to stay down, to take a rest but instead he digs his fingers into the ground to push himself up and that's when he realizes.

His balance is off. His right side is unresponsive, too heavy yet much too light. 

There's no fingers digging into the soil, no hand, no wrist, no forearm. Sanji's eyes trail along the ground where his arm should be, meeting nothing but blood and rock and dirt, yet he can feel the muscles of his arm flex under his command, feel the texture of the earth under his fingers if he tries hard enough.

He presses his forehead into the ground. He knows, his head knows but his body won't accept it. He can taste blood and bile at the back of his throat and bites it back, body tense with the effort of keeping himself together.

He doesn't want to get up and that's what scares him the most.

His entire body protests when he rolls onto his back once again, left hand searching for his cigarettes. Smoking while near unconscious might not be the best idea, but he needs something to focus on, something to keep unneccessary thoughts at bay. 

He shakes a cigarette loose of the packet and gets it between his lips, but fishing his lighter out of his right pants pocket with his left hand proves to be too much of a struggle.

He sighs.

"Sanji!!"

His whole body jolts.

Luffy.

_"I told you to keep quiet!"_

Nami-san.

_"Sanjiii"_

He can hear the ground shake beneath their feet as they run over. Luffy's hands are firm as they hold onto Sanji's cheeks, forcing him to look at him. Nami's tears are warm as they hit his face.

"Why are you here?" are his first words to his captain. They can't be here. They shouldn't be here. Everything's so blurry.

"We're here to get you…" Nami runs her thumb along Sanji's forehead and he exhales shakily. "It's okay."

"I told you I'd come back… you shouldn't… you shouldn't be here…"

"Sanji."

Luffy's eyes are fixed on the fight in the distance, his fingers clutching at the fabric of his shorts.

"Do you want to come back with us?"

It wasn't supposed to go like this. He'd go see Pudding and talk to Judge and tell them he couldn't marry her and make some kind of deal maybe. It was only supposed to be him, not Luffy, not his crew, not Zeff.

It's taking of Sanji's energy to stay conscious. 

"Of course I do… but I can't… they… they've," he grits his teeth and digs his heels into the ground, tries to remember how to breathe.

"Okay."

Luffy lifts him effortlessly and Sanji protests weakly but still wraps his good arm around the back of Luffy's neck as he hoists him up, using one arm to hold his legs and the other to support his back.

"You… shouldn't have come…" his head feels empty. He can't look Nami in the eyes as she runs behind them.

-

"Ah, it's Sanji's sister! Get out of the way Big Sis!!"

Sanji doesn't remember passing out, but it seems they've covered a considerable distance while he was gone. Luffy slows to a stop, Sanji can hear the sea.

"I'm not here to stop you, Strawhat."

"Move! I need to get him to the ship."

Reiju walks over with silent steps, the ground barely disturbed by the soft soles of her boots. Luffy's arms tighten protectively as she stops in front of him.

Sanji is pointedly not looking at her, face half-buried in Luffy's shoulder and breath leaving him in harsh puffs.

"I'm sorry, this wasn't supposed to happen."

Her hand is on what remains of Sanji's right arm, thumb gently stroking his bicep for a few seconds before she pulls back. Sanji is tense in Luffy's arms.

"I'll keep them away from the chef."

Sanji looks at her then, wide-eyed, and Nami covers her mouth as the pieces come together in her head. Reiju leans in and places a kiss on Sanji's forehead and he sucks in a painful-sounding breath, gritting his teeth and fingers tightening in the fabric of Luffy's shirt.

"Don't come back. I mean it this time."

Reiju's eyes are wet as she walks past Nami, and, if Sanji's staccato breath is any indication, so are his. 

Luffy takes another step toward the Thousand Sunny.

-

"Chopper!!"

Luffy grabs the railing of his ship and pulls himself and Sanji up on deck.

"Chopper!! Sanji! He's-"

Nami can hear Chopper skittering across the deck and several minutes of yelling and wailing pass by before Luffy reaches down to her and pulls her aboard. 

They're alone on the deck now, Luffy and Nami. Chopper's taken Sanji to the infirmary and Carrot went along to help him. Brook and Pedro still aren't back. Nami can feel herself shaking. 

Luffy looks ahead, wide-eyed and still, the ship is silent, Nami takes Luffy's hand.

Sanji screams then, loud and broken, calls for his captain over and over until he bursts through the door to the infirmary. Chopper is having difficulty holding Sanji down, trying to be mindful of his injuries as the cook thrashes.

"Luffy! He's in shock, I need to-"

"Get it off!"

"I need you to hold him down so I can sedate him!"

"Get it off! GET IT OFF!"

Sanji bends in an impressive show of flexibility, feet attempting to push at the wristlet around his left wrist even as Chopper has his arm pinned above his head, eyes screwed shut and nostrils flaring.

Luffy crawls onto the bed despite Chopper's protests and plants a knee solidly against Sanji's sternum, both hands clutching his forearm.

_Trust me_

Sanji's body slackens and Luffy pulls, sending the wristlet flying out through the open infirmary door, splintering the back wall and scorching the floorboards of the galley.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Sanji, I didn't realise-"

"Chopper."

The reindeer looks at his captain, tears streaking his fur. Nami exhales shakily and sits down at the foot of the bed, legs weak and pulse racing.

"I think he passed out."

Chopper wipes at his face and checks on Sanji.

"You're right, I-I need to get this cleaned and stitched up and um,"

Chopper turns to Carrot and instructs her to find the right bloodbags and tubes and needles while he peels Sanji's shirt off, the fabric clinging stubbornly to his burnt and bloodied skin. There's commotion outside and Nami leaves the infirmary, pulling a reluctant Luffy along to greet Pedro and Brook and find out what's going on.

Sanji stirs as Chopper starts carefully cleaning his arm, inhaling sharply and clutching at the sheet at the sting of the disinfectant.

"Chopper?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

Sanji looks at him as if he's only just now realising where he is, eyes struggling to maintain their focus on the small doctor.

"I'm giving you something for the pain, okay?" Chopper has syringe jammed down into a small flask and Sanji closes his eyes, barely registering the prick of the needle over the fiery pain in his arm and side.

He breathes a little easier then, allowing Chopper to finish washing the blood off and hook him up to the iv and blood bags, heels digging into the matress when he feels the small hooves carefully examine the place where his right arm ends.

"I'll have to file down the bone a little…"

Chopper looks about as uncomfortable as Sanji feels, mouth pressed into a straight line as he readies more sedative medicine. Carrot moves to the head of the bed and takes a hold of Sanji's left hand, leaning down and rubbing her cheek gently against it. 

Sanji almost wants to fight the darkness embracing him just to feel her soft fur against his skin a little longer but as Chopper grabs hold of his arm he gratefully slips under.

-

The pain is intense. Fire in his bones, coursing through his entire being, distant, as if it isn't his body, yet too close, hot-cold acid eating at his core.

Sanji sleeps for the next 32 hours.

-

Nami's fingers are soft and warm as they stroke his forehead and Sanji sighs contentedly, leaning into the touch before slowly blinking his eyes open.

"Hey."

"Nami-san…"

Sanji's ears are red and Nami gives him a small smile before moving her hand to thread through his hair. The porthole is open and letting a slight breeze and the sound of waves into the room.

"We're sailing." His voice is a little slurred and his eyes have slipped closed again. Nami idly brushes his bangs to the side, enjoying the rare opportunity to see Sanji this bare.

"Yeah, you were out for a while."

Sanji shifts experimentally and winces, instinctivily moving towards the comfort of Nami's hand. "How long?"

She traces the swirl of his left eyebrow with a finger. "About a day and half? Chopper said you woke up a few times during surgery but you were still pretty out of it so…"

"I don't really remember," he says, though the look in his eyes suggests otherwise. 

He's silent after that and Nami suspects he might have drifted off until his hand slowly reaches for his right arm.

"Sanji… it's-"

"I just… I, it feels like it's still there," he swallows, blown pupils searching the ceiling for the words to say. "I need to know how much's…"

His fingers are surprisingly steady as they trail down his upper arm and come to rest by his elbow. Nami watches him test the joint, eyes still on the ceiling until the pain of agitating his injury makes him close them. His forehead feels clammy under her fingers. He hesitates but eventually continues down his forearm until it stops in a rounded clump of bandages about a third of the way down, his hand feels the sheets where his right hand should be before retreating. 

He doesn't say anything.

Nami can't look at his face, eyes fixed on the tubes and needles in his left arm instead as she continues stroking Sanji's hair.

"I'm sure Franky can make you a replacement… if you want…"

It takes him a while to steady his breathing, hand drifting over the bandages around his side and abdomen.

"Do I need to call Chopper?"

He shakes his head gently, "it doesn't hurt."

Nami exhales heavily through her nose. Chopper broke down crying over Sanji's injuries after he was done patching him up, so unsure if he'd been able to stop the internal bleeding properly, if he'd sown up his arm right. Nami would have flicked Sanji's forehead if he didn't look so close to falling apart too.

"Did you eat yet?"

His voice is wavering. Nami's breath hitches a little, wishing he would allow himself to rely on her once in a while. 

"Y-Yeah, we just finished dinner."

Sanji visibly relaxes. 

"Good."

He gives her a small smile and she wishes he wouldn't when it's so full of resignation.

She stays with him long after he's drifted back to sleep.

-

Luffy, Nami, Chopper and Brook all sleep in the boy's cabin that night while Carrot and Pedro volunteers to watch over Sanji and the Sunny. Chopper has snuggled up to Nami and is sleeping soundly in her arms, completely exhausted, Luffy much the same in the wooden hammock next to them. Brook turns his head and looks at Nami from two beds over. She thought he was asleep.

"Sanji-san is strong, he will heal with time."

Nami buries her face in the soft fur on top of Chopper's head.

"I know."

-

Sanji dreams. He dreams of a sea. He dreams of mermaids, of fish, of swimming. He dreams of Nami, he dreams of Robin, he dreams of Vivi and Conis and Keimi and Violet. He dreams of Luffy's smile when he finds One Piece. He dreams of sailing, of exploring, adventure. He dreams of sparring with Zoro, he dreams of Usopp's stories. He dreams of Brook's humming and Franky's singing, he dreams of Chopper's squeal when he presents him with a new dessert. He dreams of Zeff. He dreams of the Baratie and of Patty and Carne. He dreams of learning. He dreams of saying goodbye. He dreams of Reiju. He dreams of a dungeon. He dreams of a rock in the middle of the ocean. He dreams of being alone. He dreams of his brothers. He dreams of eating, he dreams of expensive drinks and molden bread. He dreams of salt. He dreams of iron on his tongue. He dreams of his father. He dreams of the horizon, he dreams of rain. He dreams of the sun. He dreams of his mother. He dreams of sleeping. He dreams of the sky, he dreams of seagulls, he dreams of gold. He dreams of blood. He dreams of pain. He dreams of nails digging into skin. He dreams of popping joints and tearing flesh. He dreams of teeth. He dreams of bones. He dreams of hunger. He dreams of eating for the first time in months. 

He wakes up drenched in sweat, stomach churning violently as he gasps for breath, almost falling out of bed as he leans over the side of it and empties his stomach.

Sanji looks at Luffy standing in the door and starts crying.

Luffy sits on the edge of the bed and Sanji hides his face in the crook of his arm, valiantly trying to keep himself together. His breath shakes as he sucks in a lungful of air.

"I'm sorry."

"It's just puke, it'll come off."

"Not that, you idiot." Sanji kicks him weakly and Luffy plays along and tilts a little to the side.

Several minutes pass in silence. Luffy crawls onto the bed and lays down between Sanji and the wall.

"I'm… I c-can't… cook… like this."

His voice keeps breaking, tears running down the sides of his face and into his ears as shuddery breaths leave him.

"I'm sorry… I'm s-sorry you had to come… save me," he grits his teeth and his body jerks with the effort of holding himself back. "I'm s-sorry I'm so useless."

Luffy slips his hand into Sanji's.

"If your cooking is even half as good as it was before it'll still be the best I've ever tasted, though I'm sure nobody will be able to tell the difference 'cause you made it and your cooking is the best no matter how many hands you have." 

Luffy nods to himself and Sanji takes back his hand so he can wipe his face on his arm, swallowing back another wave of self-deprecating words and hesitantly slipping his fingers back between Luffy's.

"I'd still want you in my crew even if you had no arms and no legs y'know. You're you and that's all that matters to me."

Luffy looks at him, grinning when they make eye contact and Sanji blinks the fresh tears out of his eyes, burying as much as his face as he can in the pillow and groaning out a quiet "since when did you get so sappy?"

Luffy laughs and holds Sanji's hand a little tighter.


End file.
